


Goodbyes and a Promise

by CyberWolf_1013



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora Has To Say Goodbye, Before You Leave, Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Emotional, Friendship, Gen, Going To Space, Goodbyes, Left Behind - Freeform, Magical Bond, Mild Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Partnership, Post-Canon, Promises, Swiftwind Is A Good Horse, animal companion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:22:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26692909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberWolf_1013/pseuds/CyberWolf_1013
Summary: The Best Friend Squad is finally going to head out on their first space exploration. Now that Etheria is peaceful and things are getting back to normal. Adora has a hard goodbye to get through before they take off however. A partner and friend, who has always come through for her in the tough times, is being left behind.For right now, a one shot. Maybe later I'll fill it out into a real story.Dedicated to the partnership of Adora and Swiftwind because I have read very few fics where he is taken seriously as a magical animal companion to either Adora or She-Ra. So, this is me trying to fix that.
Relationships: Adora & Swift Wind | Spirit, Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	Goodbyes and a Promise

Etheria and its kingdoms were settling nicely into the peacetime that followed decades of war and ruin by The Horde and planetary invasion by Horde Prime. Rebuilding was still ongoing, and would be for years, but the major cities and lines of transport had been brought back to near former glory. The rampant release of magic from the Heart had caused no small amount of its own problems but with She-Ra there to help even that was beginning to sort itself out.

Months after the end of the war there was finally an opportunity to start fulfilling the promise made on that glowing, magic soaked, morning. With Micah watching over Brightmoon as temporarily reinstated King, and months of updates and retrofitting to Darla, courtesy of an enthusiastic Entrapta. There was no better time.

Plans were made. Routes were charted. Supplies were stored away. Then the Best Friend Squad, plus Entrapta and Hordak, were ready for lift off.

Just outside Brightmoon castle the entire Princess Alliance and friends gathered in a field where the ship had been moved while it was being worked on. Well-wishes, tears, last minute advice, and laughter jumbled together rising in heartfelt emotions against the afternoon sky.

On the edge of the Whispering Woods Adora was leaning against the trunk of one of the shady trees. She hadn't joined the fray yet and knew Catra was probably looking for her. Instead, she was watching everyone else run around the field with a rather solemn expression. Yeah. She could pick out Catra at once, not just because it was almost its own form of magic how they were drawn to each other, but also because she was scrambling out of Scorpia's tight embrace. Scorpia was a hard woman to miss.

Glimmer was locked in a crushing hug from her dad. Micah had been one of the hardest to convince of the purpose of this exploration but he had finally relented to his daughter's stubborn insistence. The young queen could be heard trying to console him even from across the field.

"So, a year, huh?" Swiftwind asked gloomily from the other side of the wide tree trunk. 

"Yep." She kept her eyes forward but the sadness in her tone was evident anyway. Adora had wanted to say goodbye to him first, away from everyone else, because she thought he would be the hardest. "Maybe a little less if we run into anything." She hadn't always made it apparent, especially in the early days of being She-Ra, but her connection with Swiftwind was one of her most treasured bonds of friendship.

"I wont be able to reach you out there," he muttered. His voice was full of concern and the tiny edge of a pout to it. Unlike Melog, who could shapeshift their size to fit on Darla, Swiftwind would always be large and clunky in a confined space like a star ship.

Adora sighed, her frown deepening, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I know." She finally leaned forward to glance around the side of the tree to look at her winged friend. "I'm sorry, buddy. Bow and Entrapta are still working on the range of the tracker pads for space travel. We don't know how they're going to hold up."

Bow had just been saved from Sea Hawk's 'Farewell Shanty' by Mermista, who kept her goodbyes short, only after shoving away the ship captain. The archer hadn't made it five paces before being swept off his feet by one of Scorpia's bone crushing hugs.

The agitation was evident in his wings, the way they twitched half open then closed again, and he dug one front hoof into the dirt between the roots of the tree. "When you left last time, it was different, we had to stop Prime. Even though you didn't have She-Ra I could still feel you, Adora, when you were here with me. Then you left and I lost even that small connection." Swiftwind lowered his head dejectedly. He had felt it like a bolt when the Sword was shattered, the connection to the magic of She-Ra gone, and only the faint trace of Adora in his mind. It had felt more like a thread rather than the strong rope tethering their bond.

"I know. I felt it too, even way out there. Then when She-Ra came back I could tell her magic was trying to reconnect with you." Adora moved to his side and placed a comforting hand on his neck, rubbing over the coarse white hair softly. There were other things she had to focus on at the time, like Horde Prime chasing them down in an asteroid field, but with the clarity of hindsight she realized that a portion of She-Ra's magic was subconsciously reaching out for that mental tie again.

There was a long silent moment between them as both warrior and horse were lost to their thoughts.

Adora kept petting along Swiftwind's strong, wide, neck and into his wavy mane. Comforting both him and herself.

Catra was notorious for avoiding crowds but even she and Melog were pinned down by Netossa who had become a reliable ear for the Magicat to bend on the occasions she couldn't talk to Glimmer or Adora. Spinnerella was standing a few paces off from the pair, comforting Sea Hawk.

"I'm not a very good noble steed, or friend, if I cant help the one person I share a magical bond with." Swiftwind finally sighed, breaking the silence with a voice of regret.

"Swifty, don't say that-" Adora started in his defense but was interrupted.

"It's true," the horse didn't let her finish. "I cant help you when you're in space."

Adora frowned in concern and her hands stilled on his neck. The blonde furrowed her brow and came around to his lowered head. "No! You're a great friend and the best magical flying horse ever."

Swiftwind didn't look up at her and remained silent. His flattened ears and downcast eyes spoke loud enough that he didn't quite believe her words.

With a determined expression, and forceful but gentle touch, Adora reached out and lifted the horse's head to meet her steady gaze. "I wouldn't lie about that." Her eyes flashed a magical bright blue. "I know you can feel it."

"Really?" Swiftwind asked after only a second of hesitation. He did feel it. That reassurance of love and friendship that surged through the connection of She-Ra's power but with all of Adora's heart. He was so worried about being forgotten and pushed aside during their missions out in space, where he couldn't go, but now he knew that would never happen with Adora.

Nodding assuredly, Adora rubbed his snout with affection. "Yeah. This year will go by quick and I'll be back. By then I know you'll have tons of stuff to catch me up on."

Entrapta and Hordak were already standing on the edge of Darla's ramp access door. Their goodbyes had been short and sweet, or in Hordak's case, non-existent.

"Well, now you mention it..." Swiftwind muttered, his eyes lighting up suddenly, and his ears perked forward. "Micah did mention an island awhile back, said its location was lost decades ago. He called it Unicorn Island. I'll make it my own mission to find it while you're gone. Will you come with me to visit, when you get home?" His expression was on the verge of pleading.

"Absolutely. It'll be Adora and Swiftwind on our own big adventure. I promise." Adora grinned and hugged her companion tightly around his neck. She felt his muzzle nudge her shoulder in his own horsey version of a hug and despite her best efforts a few tears trailed down her cheeks.

Adora pulled away and gave Swiftwind a final pat on the nose before nodding out to the crowd. "How bout joining in? You haven't even said goodbye to Melog. I know they'll miss having more than Catra to talk to." Everyone who had been there for the shapeshifting creature's first appearance had been surprised, Adora and Catra especially, to find out that the alien cat could also be understood by Swiftwind. The two magical creatures had been quick to form a solid friendship after that.

The two walked out from the tree line and headed for the gathering of friends and allies. It wasn't much longer than that and the new boosters were revving up on Darla, the door was closing, and new space adventures were on the horizon for the Best Friend Squad. For a long time after the star ship was out of sight a white hose with wings and a golden horn stood in the field and watched the stars come out in the night sky.

His mind was set on a promise.

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanna make this into something bigger. A real story with a big adventure for Adora and Swifty because this friendship is soooo ignored. I just haven't had the time lately with other writing (Couple of shorter She-Ra fics and a bigger One Piece I'm working on fixing up) and not mentioning that real life keeps calling... like a stalker.
> 
> I'll find the time, one day.
> 
> I find that Swiftwind's treatment is very unfair by Noelle Stevenson in her reboot. A true disservice to the partnership between Adora and Swifty that the original characters had and she chose to ignore. He shouldn't just be the butt end of a joke.


End file.
